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Here’s news that’ll shake the college sports model: The NCAA reportedly is near a deal that establish the framework for sharing revenue with athletes — and avoid a massive payout, per ESPN. No deal is imminent, meaning Monday night’s report likely is an attempt to see how athletes (and the public) might react to avoiding a potentially $4 billion payout.

Let’s get into the rest of Monday’s news — and prepare for any last-minute additions to the transfer portal before it closes on Wednesday.

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1. UConn plucks a starter from the portal

Dan Hurley may not like the transfer portal, but he’s pretty good at getting what he wants from it. And now? He’s all done, too.

UConn secured a commitment from Aidan Mahaney on Monday. It not only adds an elite scoring guard to the Huskies, but may very well put a bow on their 2024-25 roster rotation.

Mahaney, a 6-3 sophomore who averaged 13.9 ppg for Saint Mary’s this season, is a player who can score in bunches — his 2023 performance against Gonzaga when he scored or assisted on 19 of 21 points down the stretch was a tour de force — and will provide much-needed backcourt experience for a team that lost its starting backcourt.

He told ESPN that he wants to be pushed more when it comes to his offensive and defensive growth, not to mention the chance to play for a back-to-back champ.

"The coaching staff doesn't rebuild at UConn, they reload," Mahaney told ESPN. "There is no tiptoeing around the fact that the program is going for it all again, and I am ready to be a part of that journey towards continued greatness. One game at a time, obviously, but the goals at UConn are set the moment you walk into the facilities. National champs."

As Rob Dauster and Jeff Goodman discuss, he’ll be a terrific fit into what UConn wants.

The only thing UConn’s waiting on now is Alex Karaban’s NBA decision. The 6-9 sophomore forward is testing the NBA Draft waters, and is seen as a possible first-round selection. If Karaban returns, UConn’s roster would look like this:

• Guards: Mahaney, Hassan Diarra, Solo Ball, Ahmad Nowell

• Wings: Karaban, Jaylin Stewart, Liam McNeeley, Jayden Ross, Isaiah Abraham

• Big men: Tarris Reed, Samson Johnson, Youssouf Singare

It’s a talented group, though perhaps a bit inexperienced? Ball, Stewart, Ross and Singare all will be sophomores. Nowell, Abraham and McNeeley will be freshmen.

Is that too much on the lone senior (Diarra) and the juniors (Mahaney, Karaban and Reed)? Or is it the right mix of talent and experience for a program that’s already shown its approach — even when losing starters — doesn’t seem to slow it down.

Leaning toward the latter…

2. Alabama’s eyeing another Final Four

It took Alabama 85 years to reach its first Final Four. The wait might be a lot shorter for the next one.

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